After the Superhero Association was established, Drex Valen imdiately instructed the Black Queen to begin searching for Bruce Banner's whereabouts.
No matter how you looked at it, Bruce Banner represented an extrely powerful combat asset.
Thanks to Drex Valen's knowledge from his previous life, the search area for Bruce Banner had already been drastically narrowed down. Otherwise, trying to find a single person in a world this large would have been incredibly difficult.
Although Bruce Banner knew that Ross was no longer actively hunting him, he still chose to disappear from public view in order to avoid other organizations seeking the Hulk's power for their own purposes.
He abandoned cell phones and all electronic communication devices, living under false identities while continuing his research into curing himself of the Hulk.
At the sa ti, he had established contact with soone calling himself "Mr. Blue."
The man's knowledge deeply impressed Banner, and the ideas he proposed regarding the Hulk ca from angles Bruce himself had never considered before.
However, Mr. Blue requested a sample of Bruce's blood.
After hesitating for a long ti, Bruce Banner ultimately mailed him a blood sample.
"Dr. Banner."
One evening, Bruce returned ho from work only to discover an unexpected visitor sitting inside his modest apartnt.
Drex Valen sat there calmly in a perfectly tailored black suit.
Even though the two had technically never t before, at least not in Bruce's remaining mories after the Ancient One's interference, Bruce still recognized him imdiately.
After all, Drex Valene was impossibly famous.
Not only because of his appearance, but also because of his scientific achievents. As a fellow scientist, there was no way Bruce Banner would not know who he was.
"Drex Valen!"
Bruce was visibly shocked.
He had already accepted that he was a monster.
Yet Drex Valen still dared to approach him directly?
"Please relax, Dr. Banner. I'm not here with hostile intentions."
Drex Valen calmly produced a file and handed it over.
Bruce hesitated briefly before accepting it.
When he opened the folder, he discovered what looked like an evaluation report.
The Hulk
Bruce Banner
Classification: S-Class Hero
Strengths: Incredible physical power. Near-invulnerable durability.
Weaknesses: Unstable and difficult to control.
Evaluation: Recomnded for recruitnt.
"…What is this?"
Bruce Banner had cut himself off from communication devices and rarely even read newspapers anymore, so he still knew nothing about the Superhero Association.
Drex Valen could not be bothered explaining everything from scratch.
Instead, he simply showed Bruce various videos, including footage uploaded to Spiderweb by superheroes who had already joined the Association.
Bruce stared at the screen in disbelief.
As he scrolled through the content, his expression beca increasingly stunned.
This was still the year 2002. Smartphones had not yet beco a normal part of society, yet the device Drex Valen casually handed him had already beco a worldwide sensation.
Although Bruce had never used one before, a genius of his caliber only needed a few monts to understand the operating system.
The smartphone itself was shocking enough.
But the existence of the Superhero Association was even more unbelievable.
"So…" Bruce slowly looked up from the screen. "You want to beco a superhero?"
He sounded completely incredulous.
"You haven't seen Hulk the way I have."
"It can't be controlled. It doesn't listen to reason. It doesn't care about morality or consequences."
"Every single ti it appears, all it brings is destruction and casualties."
"It's a curse!"
Bruce beca increasingly emotional as he spoke, his voice bordering on hysteria.
"No, Dr. Banner," Drex Valen said calmly, shaking his head. "Hulk can communicate."
"The reason every appearance ends in destruction is because nobody has ever truly tried to communicate with him."
"In many ways, Hulk is like a newborn child."
"Every ti he appears, it's either because you're in danger or because soone attacks him imdiately after he erges."
"He's simply fighting back."
Of course, even a "child" like Hulk was extrely dangerous.
He had no true understanding of morality or restraint.
But Drex Valen knew from future events on Sakaar that Hulk was fully capable of developing independent thought, emotions, and personal values.
"You want to communicate with Hulk?"
Bruce Banner honestly could not tell whether Drex Valen had gone insane or whether he himself was losing his mind.
"Don't think of him as a monster, Dr. Banner."
Drex Valen spoke seriously.
"Strictly speaking… he could even be considered your child."
Bruce looked at him as though he were completely unreasonable.
Then again, as a fellow scientist, Bruce also understood exactly how dangerous that sort of curiosity could beco.
"I won't agree to this."
Bruce shook his head firmly.
"You should leave."
"Hulk is too dangerous. Turning him into a superhero would be absurd. You'd be gambling with innocent lives."
"The threats facing Earth are increasing more and more, Dr. Banner."
Drex Valen smoothly shifted the conversation.
He pulled up footage of the monsters he had created battling superheroes across the country.
The scenes completely shattered Bruce Banner's understanding of reality yet again.
"These monsters are becoming more nurous and more powerful," Drex Valen said.
"And we're severely lacking manpower."
"If you truly believe Hulk can't save people… then at the very least, let him fight."
Bruce stared at the footage in shock.
"Where are these monsters even coming from?"
He watched one terrifying creature after another appear on screen, unable to hide his disbelief.
Only after Bruce finished watching did Drex Valen speak again.
"So, Dr. Banner?"
Bruce fell silent.
The idea of Hulk saving people sounded utterly ridiculous to him.
But using Hulk to fight monsters?
That actually sounded strangely reasonable.
Still...
What if Hulk lost control?
What if, instead of fighting the monsters, he simply joined them in destroying everything around him?
Drex Valen did not pressure him further.
He simply waited patiently for Bruce's answer.
"I…" Bruce finally sighed heavily. "All I ever wanted was to cure myself."
"But judging by the situation now… it seems the world won't allow that luxury anymore."
Drex Valen smiled.
"Welco to the Superhero Association, Dr. Banner."
Bruce rely nodded quietly.
He had little else to say.
anwhile, Drex Valen had already begun planning Hulk's official debut.
The Hulk's first appearance absolutely had to shake the entire city.
Only that kind of overwhelming spectacle could reduce the public's instinctive fear of giant monsters like Hulk.
Bruce Banner had very few belongings to pack.
Soon afterward, he boarded a plane with Drex Valen and returned to New York.
The mont Bruce saw the Superhero Association Headquarters Tower in person, he was stunned once again.
Videos simply could not capture the sheer scale of the structure.
The building had already beco one of New York City's defining landmarks.
"Well, look who finally joined us."
Tony Stark imdiately walked over with a grin the mont he saw Bruce.
"Welco aboard, Dr. Banner."
"Or should I say… the big green guy?"
Bruce Banner had clearly achieved a much calr state of mind compared to before. He barely reacted to Tony Stark's usual sharp-tongued nonsense.
Drex Valen completely ignored Tony's reckless behavior as well.
If Tony Stark could actually learn restraint, then he would not be Tony Stark anymore.
At this point, the man was hopeless.
"So this is where I'll be living from now on?"
Bruce asked curiously after being led into a room prepared for him.
"For now, yes."
Drex Valen nodded.
"But first, we'll need to perform a full dical examination."
...
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